A choice of shipping options will be key to the success of online traders, says Paul Stewart, managing director of the courier website NIParcels.com

More of us are buying goods online, with the average UK shopper now spending approximately £1,175 per year. Retailers are all fighting to get a slice of the action, and one way retailers are winning over customers is by offering a choice of shipping options.

One of the main reasons why shoppers abandon their cart is due to the shipping options available to them at the checkout.

Consumers are looking for free and/or fast shipping options when ordering online, along with free returns. Online shopping has been around for approximately 15 years, but the shipping options have barely changed in this time. It is only within the last year that the delivery options are being made to suit the consumer.

In our experience, it is not only consumers buying from large online retailers that want choice when it comes to delivery options, but business owners have specific needs which also must be met.

We are finding that more and more couriers are reacting better to the fast-paced world we live in, and work in, and are offering same-day and next-day delivery with a variety of delivery time slots throughout the day.

This is a trend that will continue in 2014, as we have certainly seen a change at NIParcels.com with an increase of 70% of customers booking more express shipments rather than the 2-3 day economy shipments that would have been popular in the past.

Some of the larger providers are now offering a one-hour delivery window and live tracking of the delivery van – and one UK-based provider can even deliver items within 90 minutes of placing your order.

We may not see this option in Northern Ireland in 2014, but it is definitely something that will be coming our way in the not so distant future.Some of the larger providers are already

offering the consumer a one-hour delivery window and live

tracking of delivery

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